Eight-plus seasons of AHL and CHL bus rides habituated Mark French to the rigors of pro hockey travel.

Mark FrenchHERSHEY BEARS

Travel in the KHL, where former Hershey Bears head coach French spent the 2013-14 season as head coach of Medvescak Zagreb in Croatia, provided an even more daunting challenge.

“It wasn't the travel in between cities,” French said. “It was the time changes. Russia and where we were traveling was such a vast area. One road trip we traveled to Siberia to play Omsk and Sibir and it was a six-hour time change from Zagreb. After those two games, we flew to Vladivostok, which is on the Sea of Japan, which was another six hours. By the end of that trip, you didn't know if you were coming or going or if it was night or mid-afternoon.

“Unbelievable that you're on the Sea of Japan and you're looking across and you're closer to Japan than any other parts that you've known. At times, you took a step back and realized the vastness of what you were a part of.”

KHL plane travel had the reputation of being scary even before the 2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl air disaster. But French said it wasn't an issue for his club.

“The planes were excellent,” he said. “The flights were good, other than the odd time we had to stop and refuel because of the distances we were traveling. There were no issues.”

French and Medvescak negotiated the time zones and competition well enough to be a surprise playoff qualifier in the franchise's first KHL season. Medvescak, moving up from the Austrian league, went 28-14-4-8 and finished sixth in its conference.

Boyd KaneHERSHEY BEARS

Former Bears captain Boyd Kane was part of a roster with a strong AHL flavor that included Charles Linglet, Matt Ellison, Matt Murley and goalies Barry Brust and Mark Dekanich.

“I think early we went through some growing pains,” French said. “Then we really found our stride and found our identity. Credit to the guys.

“I think a lot of people in the league were surprised that we were able to make the playoffs being a new team and the lowest budget team.”

Medvescak was swept 4-0 in the first round by Lev Prague, which ultimately advanced to the Gagarin Cup finals against Magnitogorsk Metallurg, led by head coach Mike Keenan. Metallurg, where former Bears winger Oskar Osala played this season, won the KHL title in a seven-game series.

Mike Pelino, who was a mentor for French at Ontario's Brock University, served as a Metallurg assistant this season.

“I think that was one of the nice parts about it was to reconnect with a mentor of mine, a guy that really got me into coaching,” French said.

“I was certainly happy to see him and Mike Keenan win the championship.”

Kane produced 4-5-9 in 48 regular-season games and 1-1-2 in the four games against Lev.

“We wanted to make sure in the first year of the franchise that you had the right people representing you, not only on the ice but in the city and in the dressing room,” French said. “I think we knew Boyd would do that from his time in Hershey.

“It meant a lot to me that he decided to come over. I think it was a pretty special thing for our relationship.”

French said Kane, a winger, played some center at the start of the season.

“As the season went on, he played his best hockey probably in the four games against Prague,” French said. “He played a shutdown role and played a very physical role. I think he did a great job of helping to establish what the team is going to represent and establishing the culture of the group. We had a lot of guys similar to Boyd, which was a real nice position for me to be in.

“We're going to sit down and talk [about next season]. I'm not sure what Boyd's plans are. I think he's looking at a number of things, and probably one being life outside of hockey to some degree. But my hope was that his family had a tremendous experience and life experience, as well, coming over there.”

There were language and cultural adjustments for French and his family. French, who led Hershey to the 2009-10 Calder Cup, said he will return as Medvescak's head coach in 2014-15.

“They want me back, which is nice,” he said. “I think we were really impressed with the experience. I think next year we'll be better equipped from a family perspective to know what we're going into. I think with the team, as well. I think we're excited as a group to see what we can do in year two.

“It was pretty cool. The league was probably better than expected from a lot of respects. The quality of teams throughout the league, I was really impressed. Croatia was great in terms of the city and the climate.”

NOTEBOOK

The Abbotsford Heat announced that former Bears captain Dean Arsene, who served as Abbotsford's captain in 2013-14, is retiring. Arsene, 33, was a member of Hershey's Calder Cup teams in 2005-06 and 2008-09.

A charity hockey game featuring the York Devils is scheduled for May 10 from 5:45-6:45 p.m. at the York City Ice Arena for the Carter N. Bowman Foundation, which benefits children undergoing cancer treatment at the University of Pennsylvania. Any donation is welcome for admission.